How to Host Multiple Websites on Your Hosting Account?

Do you already own a website, but you plan on expanding your field of work with a new one? Or you have multiple websites but all spread on different hosting plans or at different companies? Then you arrived on the right article. As you can tell from the title, we’ll discuss how you can host more than 1 website on your hosting account.

But keep in mind one important thing: we’ll talk about the way you can host multiple website, in 1 single open account. So, the idea is, that you don’t have to purchase multiple hosting packages to be able to host multiple websites. For how that is done, we’ll see shortly.

Pros and Cons of Hosting Multiple Website on One Hosting Account

You might be asking yourself, why it’s good to host multiple websites in just a single account? Well, there are more reasons for why this is efficient.

Pros

First, it is cheaper. This might actually be the most important aspect that a lot of people take into consideration. Just think about this. Let’s say you want to host 3 websites in 3 separate hosting packages. If the hosting plan would cost $5/month, you’ll have to pay $15/month to host 3 websites in total. Where’s the positive in that?

Instead, it’s best if you search for a hosting plan, that comes with the possibility from the start, to host 3 websites using it. In our example, you’ll only pay $5/month for all 3 websites. This is even more important when you’re just starting out with a new site. After all, you can’t make much money from it in the beginning. You have to grow it to that point.

The next benefit that comes from hosting multiple websites in a single open account, is that you can manage all your website’s easier. After all, everything will be in one place. You’ll be able to switch between domain names easily, and work with the website you want at a certain time.

Cons

Now, let’s list one negative as well. If you host multiple websites in a single account, the resources available for hosting will be split up among all your websites. At first, when you have websites with less visitors, this might not be a problem.

But later, as all your websites grow in traffic, you will need more resources to be able to handle the number of daily visitors. In that case, if you still want to host more than 1 website in a single account, it would be best to sign up for a service that gives you at least a Virtual Private Server (VPS), or a Dedicated server all for you.

How Can You Host Multiple Sites in a Single Account?

Now, will discuss how it’s possible to host more than 1 website with just 1 open hosting account. The most important aspect that you need to look out for, is to opt for a hosting package that lets you host multiple websites. If you don’t, you won’t be able to do this. Later I’ll give you 3 of the best companies who offer plans with the possibility to host multiple websites.

But now, we should see how you can host more than 1 websites in a single account. This is easier than you might think. If you own more than 1 website, or you’re just planning to, it means that you’ll own multiple domain names too, right?

So, the first thing you should do to add a secondary website along your first one, is to add the new domain to your account. This can be done in at least 2 ways:

  1. If you already have a domain name registered to someone else (another hosting company), you have to transfer that domain to your new host. The method which is used for this process might differ from one company to another. But the point is, that you can transfer that domain, and build a new website on it in your new hosting account.
  2. The second method is used if you want to create a new website from scratch, without an already existing domain name. The process is a little similar, but this time, you have to purchase a domain name from your hosting company. Once you’ve done that, you can build a secondary website using the bought domain name. This process can be done multiple times, to add many more new websites.

Now, when the new domain was added to the hosting account, all you need to do, is switch to using that one. When you’re there, you can start building the website besides the one that you already own.

But if you transfer your domain from another hosting provider, you can also transfer the whole website (if you have it built), and add it as a secondary site to your account. This way, 2 websites will use a single account.

Best Hosting Providers for Multiple Websites

Now that you know how it’s done, we’ll move on and talk about the 3 best candidates that offer hosting for multiple websites in a singular account. It doesn’t matter which one you choose in the end. Any one of the 3 is providing top-notch services. To be clear, we’ll talk about shared hosting for all 3 companies.

InMotion Hosting

inmotion-hosting-multiple-websitesInMotion is an American based company founded many years ago. They gained a lot in popularity throughout the years, and that is for a good reason: InMotion offers efficient hosting services for fairly low prices. This is especially true for services like VPS hosting and Dedicated Servers, that cost much more with other providers.

Shared hosting however is the most popular service at InMotion. You can purchase it in 3 separate plans. All 3 of them support hosting for multiple websites in one account:

  1. Launch: costs a monthly $6.39 and it supports 2 hosted websites.
  2. Power: costs $8.49/month, supporting 6 websites for hosting.
  3. Pro: it comes for a monthly $14.71 with the chance to host an unlimited number of websites.

The most popular plan is the second one, and InMotion is recommending it too. Buying it, you get all the following features included in the price: free domain for a whole year (if you pay for 1 year upfront), 6 websites, unlimited SSD storage and bandwidth, site builder, marketing tools and security features (SSL certificate) and unlimited email accounts.

Bluehost

bluehost-multiple-website-hostingBluehost is our second pick on this list, but it doesn’t mean that it’s only second in terms of hosting packages. You get one of the best services for hosting multiple websites. Just like InMotion Hosting, Bluehost is also very popular for its shared hosting services.

The first plan they offer, supports only 1 website, so I’ll only mention the rest of the packages:

  • Plus: $5.95/month. Host unlimited websites in 1 account.
  • Choice Plus: $5.95/month. Also supports unlimited websites.
  • Pro: $13.95/month. Unlimited websites as well.

As you can notice, the Plus and Choice Plus plans cost the same amount. There is some difference between them though. With the Choice Plus plan, you get a Domain Privacy feature and Site Backup as well. All the rest, like SSD storage and emailing features, are included. The most popular plan is this one. If you go with it, you won’t be disappointed.

But, if you feel more comfortable with a lower tier plan, just go with the simple Plus package. You have the chance to host unlimited websites using it.

HostGator

hostgator-multiple-domain-hostingHostGator is the 3rd and final pick that is really worth checking out for multiple websites. They come with 3 different shared hosting plans, but only the 2nd and 3rd ones let you host multiple websites. So, we’ll talk about those:

  1. Baby plan: it costs $3.95/month. For such a low price, you get included support for unlimited websites, many 1-click installs (WordPress and others), unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate and SSD storage for fast site loading speeds.
  2. Business plan: it costs $5.95/month. This is the recommended plan from HostGator. You get all the above-mentioned perks (Baby plan), plus some additions: free upgrade to Positive SSL, free dedicated IP address and free SEO tools to help you get going faster.

HostGator also makes available a free site building platform with hundreds of free themes. You can build a new website with ease, using this tool. It’s worth mentioning, that all the templates are responsive, so they will look good on all devices.

Conclusion

All in all, hosting more than 1 website in a single account is not that complicated. As you can see from above, there are many hosting plans that let you have multiple websites in one account. Now, it’s up to you to choose a plan that support multiple websites and fits your needs.

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David Cross

David is the chief editor at WebHostingMedia right from the beginning. He has a great passion for building and managing websites and creating helpful content. He is also interested in programming - currently learning python.